Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Aug. 5, 2020

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Edited by Brian W. Everstine with Rachel S. Cohen, Alyk Russell Kenlan, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

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Trump Swears in Brown as Air Force Boss in Oval Office Ceremony
By Brian W. Everstine

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. took a ceremonial oath of office Aug. 4 in a surprise
event at the White House, two days before he officially becomes the 22nd Chief
of Staff of the Air Force. Accompanied by his family and senior Air Force and
Defense Department leaders, Brown raised his right hand and took an oath
administered by Vice President Michael R. Pence. President Donald J. Trump moved
the short ceremony to the Oval Office at the last minute. The Senate unanimously
confirmed Brown in a historic 98-0 vote in June. He will become the first
African American officer to serve as chief of staff of one of the armed forces,
after holding leadership positions in combat organizations around the globe.

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Helicopter Pilot Training Experiment Skips Fixed-Wing Courses
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force is trying an experiment that would take its rotary-wing pilots out
of the standard Undergraduate Pilot Training program and send them through an
all-helicopter course. The goal is to trim months from training, improve pilot
quality and free up fixed-wing slots in UPT to increase pilot production, the
head of 19th Air Force said in an interview.

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Disagreement over Tata Could Stymie Air Force Leader’s Confirmation
By Rachel S. Cohen

Democratic senators on Aug. 4 indicated they could hold up the confirmation of
Shon J. Manasco as Air Force undersecretary as recourse for the Trump
administration’s decision to install a controversial official into a key
Pentagon policy post without Senate approval. That standoff loomed over an Aug.
4 confirmation hearing that vetted Manasco to be the Air Force’s No. 2
civilian official.

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Air National Guardsmen Help Save Lost Mariners in Micronesia
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

A five-member KC-135 crew composed of Air National Guardsmen from Hawaii and
Pennsylvania helped track down three mariners who got lost in the Federated
States of Micronesia on Aug. 2, enabling their rescue a day later. Lt. Col.
Jason Palmeira-Yen, Maj. Byron Kamikawa, and Tech. Sgt. Shane Williams from the
Hawaii Air National Guard's 203rd Air Refueling Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Rodney
Joseph and Senior Airman Jeremy Williams from the Pennsylvania ANG's 171st Air
Refueling Wing subsequently took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in a
Stratotanker and determined the lost mariners' location after about three hours
in the air, according to a 36th Wing release.

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Airmen on Navy Command Jet Test-Launch Three-Tipped, Unarmed Nuclear Missile
By Brian W. Everstine

A Navy E-6B Mercury nuclear command plane launched a three-tipped, unarmed Air
Force nuclear missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in an unusual but
long-planned exercise Aug. 4. Sailors and Airmen from Offutt Air Force Base,
Neb., aboard the E-6B worked with Airmen from Vandenberg who acted as the alert
and operational crews on the ground for launch night. Air Force Global Strike
Command does not often test missiles configured with multiple re-entry vehicles,
which were phased out to comply with the New START treaty between the U.S. and
Russia. The coronavirus pandemic also posed an opportunity to vet the E-6B.

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USAF, DOD Need COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donors to Help Fight Pandemic
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Air Force is helping the Defense Department collect COVID-19 convalescent
plasma from individuals who have recovered from the disease in hopes that it can
help the military treat other patients, the service announced last month. While
the military is now nearly halfway to its goal of collecting 10,000 units of
convalescent plasma—or the liquid part of the blood donated by people whose
bodies have beaten the disease—it's still seeking potential donors to help it
reach that target by Sept. 30. “Currently, we have almost reached 50 percent
of our goal and encourage those who are able to donate to do so to help fight
this persistent enemy,” Air Force Deputy Surgeon General Maj. Gen. Sean L.
Murphy said in an Aug. 4 statement to Air Force Magazine.

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USAF, Israeli F-35s Train Together
By Alyk Russell Kenlan

American and Israeli F-35s trained together earlier this week, in the second
bilateral exercise between the two countries focusing on Joint Strike Fighter
operations. The exercise, called Enduring Lightning II, “illustrates the close
relationship between the air forces and military echelons and enhances the
cooperation of knowledge and capabilities of the F-35 and the IAF's operational
abilities,” an Israeli Defense Force statement said.

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Virtual Events: AFWIC Experts on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will
present “Aerospace Nation: a Conversation with AFWIC on the Global Futures
Report,” featuring a discussion with Lt. Col. Jake Sotiriadis—the Air Force
Warfighting Integration Capability's chief of strategic foresight and
futures—and other members of the Global Futures Report team about how the Air
Force can shape an adaptive future strategy, and more. Event video will
tentatively be posted to the think tank's <a
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<a href="[link removed]">YouTube
channel</a>.

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Radar Sweep

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Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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‘It’s Hard to Be in Limbo,’ as COVID-19 Plays Havoc with Military Moves

For many military families, the summer of 2020 will go down as the most
stressful overseas move yet, thanks to increased health concerns, financial
strain, and unpredictable schedules, according to nearly a dozen service members
and their family members interviewed by Foreign Policy.

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Raytheon and Rafael to Build Iron Dome in US

American firm Raytheon Technologies and Israeli-based Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems have formed a joint venture to build the Iron Dome missile defense
system in the United States, the companies announced Aug. 3.

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97th OG collaborates with AFWERX, Pilot Training Accelerates

While continuing to train the nation's next generation of C-17 Globemaster III,
KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus pilots, the 97th Operations Group has
begun to enhance their training in a unique, yet modern way. By using emerging
technology combined with the new standards for pilot training, the group has
created the Virtual/Enhanced Reality Training, Innovation, and Generation Office
program for pilot training.

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DARPA’s Stephen Forbes Named Blackjack Program Manager

Stephen Forbes has been tapped to lead the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency’s Blackjack program, the agency said Aug. 4. DARPA’s Tactical
Technology Office launched the Blackjack program in 2018 to demonstrate the
value of small satellites in low Earth orbit as an alternative to the
Pentagon’s large geosynchronous satellites.

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OPINION: A Sitting Target in Space for Russia's Anti-Satellite Weapons?

"U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) has revealed evidence that Russia conducted a
space-based anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon test on July 15,” writes retired Air
Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association’s Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies. "This is but the latest in a growing number of
counter-space capability tests conducted by an ever-expanding number of
countries, and flies in the face of our nation’s policy to not weaponize
space. It is time to face reality."

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General Atomics to Design Space Force Weather Satellite Prototype

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems announced an agreement Aug. 4 to design
a prototype for the U.S. Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System,
known as EWS.

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Air Force Modifies Funding for Credentialing Program

Department of the Air Force officials recently announced changes to the Air
Force Credentialing Opportunities Online, or AF COOL, program. Air and Space
professionals will continue to receive funding for approved credentials, though
funding for preparatory classes, boot camps, and coursework has been removed.

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DBB to Discuss Small Business Mentoring Program This Week

The Defense Business Board plans to meet online this week to talk about a
mentor-protégé program it is assessing, according to a notice in the Aug. 4
Federal Register.

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Air Force Squadron Commander Dies in Cycling Incident near Fairbanks

An Air Force squadron commander at Eielson Air Force Base died in a cycling
incident near Fairbanks, Alaska, on Aug. 1. He was 37.

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Tyndall Master Sergeant Dies in Boating Accident

A production superintendent in a maintenance squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base,
Fla., died in a boating accident over the weekend, base officials said Aug. 3.

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One More Thing...
This Is The First Image Ever of a Stealthy Black Hawk Helicopter

Almost a decade since we learned of the stealth Black Hawks used in the Bin
Laden raid, we have seen no images of them or of their lineage, until now.

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